:: Eating Vinegar ::

Hours Later

Instead of the speedy bullet trains aka subways we have back in our world, I am standing with Cullen, much unstably, in a wobbly, moving carriage. The road before us is bumpy, and with a glint of mischief in his eyes, he takes it as a direct invitation to curl an arm around me.

I know I am sensitive to being touched, but considering how close I am to falling, I tell myself I don't have much of a choice since I'm pretty much stuck with Cullen here, while maybe nobody realises my disappearance back home. (Or maybe Uncle Dou or Dewey do, but don't suspect anything.)

I am so not used to life here. Not only is it going at such a slow pace, but most people also engage in idle talk or perform menial tasks and actions that people of our world would deem unnecessary. Many jobs in my world are done by robots or supercomputers. 

Hence, returning to a world set in an era that was more backward compared to the era of my world, despite both worlds being of about the same age, was very unsettling for me. Part of me felt uncomfortable about being here, yet another part of me wanted to stay and discover more.

What? Does the restaurant have no robot staff? I thought, pulling a long face. People walking alongside us were conversing in a very strange language and paid us no heed.

Cullen's cold fingers pressed against my palm, stinging me lightly. I didn't need to say a word to communicate with him; he naturally could read my thoughts so effectively that I would from time to time, feel violated. But I have to remind myself that he is after all, not a being from my world, after all. A supernatural creature like him could easily kill me the same way he gave me life. If only I could read his thoughts, I would get the answer to the questions coursing in my head.

Of course, he wouldn't give away his game, would he?

He just winked and led me into the restaurant. I could not believe what I saw next.

"Handwritten orders? You got to be kidding."

"We were in a secluded area in a cave in Indonesia days ago," he explained. "Today, we are in Tokyo, Japan."

"Your point?"

"My point is, every area is different and people have different cultures and ways of doing things. I used Indonesia and Japan as a comparison between your world and this world. Two different entire worlds, just a different as two countries."

He is such a horrible teacher, I rant in my head. Furthermore, he is the one who has the special power of reading minds, not me!

Cullen turned towards me, still as cold as before, but in addition to that, mischievous. How the two characteristics of him blend together and appear so enticing is beyond me. Maybe he was born that way… wait, are demon offspring conceived or birthed at all? Or do they sprout out of the ground with magic?

Cullen's slick hair is styled in a man-bun today. It is amazing how he can apply his magic so efficiently to switch his hairstyles each day we are in a different place. I am unsure how to change my own hairstyle since he didn't teach me how to, assuming he prefers me to stick with my blue bob. His hair shines under the bright light in the restaurant, a distracting shade of red.

Sure, it garners him some attention, and if only I knew how to repel those young female students from him. I detest it when I am speaking to him and some girl walks past trying to catch with eyes, probably with her two large mounds.

"I sense some vinegar," Cullen snides me with his statement. I look past his long arms, realising a small bottle of vinegar nearby (In Mandarin, eating vinegar pertains to jealousy).

I stretch my hand and grab the bottle, shoving it towards him. The girl mutters something in Japanese and walks away with a disappointed look on her pretty face. He responds with some fluent Japanese sentences, causing the girl to turn around abruptly and nod anxiously, sweating profusely. After a further exchange of some sentences between her and Cullen, she hurriedly leaves the scene.

"What did you say to her to make her so flustered?" I whisper to Cullen, remembering her flawless face and petite figure, devoid of any visible fat on her body. 

"What will you give me if I tell you?" he taunts me. I can't answer him. With such massive power, he could have any woman in the world he wanted. Why would he even care about being with a human who will age and die?

"I don't know what you are talking about," I mutter. A handsome waiter serves our food, but I can't be bothered to take a second look at the man. Any man pales in comparison with even Cullen's alter ego Cullen Fu. If only he wasn't that handsome, maybe I wouldn't have to bother myself with his gossip and try to dig out some information online about the women he was with.

Cullen looks around us, his eyes enlarged. With an annoyed stare, he twirls his finger while pointing to the air above us. I could have sworn I saw the air above us ripple like water in a river, but only for a few seconds. Then everything returns to normal.

He clears his throat like a businessman proposing a deal.

"I've said that I need us in a relationship when we return."

"Why me?" I query. "Don't you have many applicants on your list?"

He gazes at me as if I have asked him an unsolvable mathematics question. "Applicants? Who are you talking about?"

I try my best to name all the women I have read that he was in a relationship with.

"Are you sure you are referring to me, and not Cullen Fu? Or rather, my image?"

Huh? What is he talking about? Is he not taking responsibility for his relationships and any possible sexual activity between him and those women?

He reads my mind. "Ah, someone is being concerned."

I pout. "Nothing of the sort!"

He crosses his arms over his chest.  "Says the person who is getting red in her face!"

I quickly raise my hands to my cheeks to defend myself. "I am not!"

Cullen chuckles. "With me, you don't need to be so defensive. Remember our deal?"

"I promised my soul and my love, I haven't forgotten," I state as clearly as I can make my voice be. "I just want to get back what I lost in my past life, then you are free to take my life, Cullen."

He stretches his hand over to my seat and strokes my hair carefully. His actions give me goosebumps, but it also intrigues my curiosity about how it is like being the devil - no, demon's girl. I actually wish to know the Secret Life of Cullen the Demon.

"My dear girl," he says in a deeper-than-usual icy tone, "Why would I want you dead if I was the one who gave you a new life? But every contract has consequences."

"So, I am supposed to be yours by the contract?" I eye him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He gnashes his teeth at my sudden touch, and at the same time, I feel a strange ray of light splice through my hand. I quickly retract my hand in pain, scrutinising and rubbing it to ensure it would not fall apart. 

"Don't worry, you won't lose your hand," he informs me. "It's just that your transformation is not complete yet, Miss Lu."

"Transformation?"

"You will know when the time is ripe."

I fathom that there is no use in insisting for him to explain what he meant, because he is so skilled at evading my questions. I finish my meal in silence for the remaining fifteen minutes, slowly taking my time. It is a bowl of cold straight noodles served with ice and a plate of vegetables and prawns battered in a crispy manner. Cha-soba and Tempura. Two popular Japanese dishes, I am told.

After we are done, he rings a bell and the handsome waiter earlier comes to us. Cullen doesn't say a word but hands a small rectangular piece of plastic with numbers engraved on it to the waiter. In about five minutes, the waiter returns with a long piece of rolled paper.

"Thank you, and please come again."

This is the first person we have met who is able to speak in Mandarin, so I forget myself and utter excitedly, "You're welcome! You understand Mandarin?"

The man smiles politely. "Yes, I am...from China."

I would definitely like to stay and ask more about him, but it is the demon's turn to look displeased. When he is supposedly jealous, he looks like an ice bucket has been poured on him for a challenge.

"Miss Lu, if you continue to take our deal lightly and act inappropriately towards others, you will regret it very soon," he remarks coldly. Standing up in a flash, he seizes my hand and guides me, rather forcefully, out of the restaurant. 

We're not coming here ever again! He communicates to me telepathically. 

I let out a yawn. "Isn't there a special place we need to visit today?"

His cheeks almost touches mine. "Depending on your performance today, we might go to a few special places, so what do you think?"

  How I wish I could stomp on his foot right now!